Next up for Wellington: Springlake-Earth

It’s now down to three Amarillo-area high school football teams still alive in the playoffs.

Class 2A Muleshoe, Class 1A Wellington and Six-Man Valley will all have to wait until after the first weekend of December to start worrying about the boys basketball season. They’ll all be playing at least once next month.

Muleshoe beat Merkel, 33-27, in the 2A Division I regional playoffs Friday. The Mules (11-1) will play Eastland (12-0) in the state quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday at Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium.

Wellington remained the area’s only unbeaten team by crushing Morton, 44-7, in a 1A Division II regional Friday. The Skyrockets (12-0) will face Springlake-Earth (7-5) in the state quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.

The last time Wellington was in the state quarterfinals was 1991, when the Skyrockets were a Class 2A school. That team was coached by James Williams, father of current Wellington coach Wade Williams, who is also a Wellington graduate.

Valley advanced in the Six-Man Division I playoffs by beating Meadow, 76-48, on Friday in the state quarterfinals.

The Patriots (12-1) are in the state semifinals for the first time since 2005, and will face either Borden County or Ira next week, with the winner heading to the state championship game in Abilene’s Shotwell Stadium a week later.